Ian Wright offers to step into Lookman transfer saga and help Arsenal sign him from Atalanta

FORMER England striker Ian Wright has pledged to step into the ongoing Ademola Lookman transfer saga and help his former club Arsenal sign the Super Eagles winger ahead of the forthcoming 2025/26 season.

Lookman, 27, the current African footballer of the year has put in a transfer request with his current club Atalanta in Italy but there is a lot of controversy around where he goes. Atalanta reluctant to sell Lookman to their Serie A rivals, Inter Milan. who have signified an interest in buying him.

Wright, who was a folk hero at Arsenal, has urged Lookman to consider a switch to the Emirates Stadium where he can help the club win the elusive league shield. Taking to social media, Wright showered praise on the Atalanta star and suggested that Lookman could play a crucial role in helping Arsenal win the English Premier League title.

“I would love someone like him to come back to the Premier League and say, listen, I have unfinished business here, so I am going to help Arsenal win the league. I just admire his journey and now he’s recognised rightly as a top player - unbelievable,” Wright added.

Lookman’s career has enjoyed a resurgence since he moved to Italy following stints in England with Charlton, Everton, Fulham and Leicester. Over the last two seasons, Lookman has enjoyed standout campaigns with Atalanta, famously scoring a historic hat-trick in the Europe League final against Bayer Leverkusen to hand the Italian side their first European title in 2024/25.

His performances have attracted interest from several clubs, with Inter Milan keen but struggling to match Atlanta's valuation. Wright’s comments have fuelled speculation that Lookman could make a sensational return to England and potentially link up with Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Arsenal side.

Arsenal are already linked with another player of Nigerian extraction as they are said to be hot on the heels of Crystal Playmaker Ebere Eze.  However, their bid currently relies on Stuttgart’s pursuit of a Gunners player as the club is relying on the sale of Fabio Vieira to fund the transfer.

Eze has a £68m release clause, although some reports have claimed it’s expired, while others say it is active until mid-August. Stuttgart are looking to pay £17m for Viera, although Arsenal’s initial price tag is likely to be more than this, however, both clubs are hoping to get a deal done quickly as the Gunners want to have a deal in place for Eze this week.